1. Field
The present invention is related to systems and methods for conducting transactions using networked computers. Furthermore, this invention relates to communicating a potential customer's purchase request to a seller.
2. Description of the Related Art
The global economy has made the business of selling more competitive than ever. Businesses that do not maximize customer satisfaction and profitability may not survive in today's markets. Businesses are therefore demanding tools and methods to provide a competitive edge.
In a conventional vehicle sales scenario, a potential automobile purchaser initiates a purchasing process by visiting a dealership. The customer may make several preliminary visits before making his or her purchasing intent known to the dealer. Until the purchasing intent is revealed, the dealer acts inefficiently in attempting to consummate a customer purchase.
For example, the dealer maintains potentially unnecessary resources to handle the preliminary visits. Not knowing whether the potential customer intends to make a purchase, a large number of salespersons stand ready to confront all visitors to the dealership. However, many visits are preliminary and do not require the assistance of a salesperson. Accordingly, inefficiency is often experienced in such a conventional vehicle dealership setting.
Moreover, in the conventional vehicle dealership, the salesperson works on a commission basis. Because the salesperson's income is directly related to a vehicle's sales price, the salesperson will attempt to sell a vehicle for the highest price possible while still gulling a customer into thinking the customer is getting a great deal. Haggling over the vehicle's price enables the salesperson to achieve this goal.
Haggling over the vehicle's price is an unpleasant process for the customer. Both the customer and dealer invest significant resources in time and energy in this type of negotiation process. Additionally, the dread and intimidation associated with the haggling process often makes it stressful and frustrating for the customer. The customer may decide not to make a purchase as a result of the unpleasant haggling process. Thus, the haggling process introduces additional inefficiency in the vehicle sales process in the form of excess negotiation effort and potential lost sales.